Totally awesome! Thanks for the link. Indeed, Mohinders are another great example of an organisation building a business with an integrated social impact. Tastes good huh.

My knowledge of shoe makers in India (Mohinders works with artisans in Kolkata) is not overly positive, due to the influx of cheap mass manufacturing, these generations old artisans are being pushed out of the market.

I believe it is important to be pragmatic about industry and trades, that some trades will ultimately be overcome by better technology and more efficient solutions. That's fine. It is also fine, to redraw the playing field and see where we can better utilise. It's a balance.

In the situation of footwear we have two major problems, a) an amazing, generations-old trade / craft is being lost (particularly in India) and b) it is being replaced with a product (eg. cheap foam or plastic thongs) that is grossly inferior and brings a cloud of negative social implications to boot.

Bring on new business models and social enterprises. We can solve these real problems (without charity).